The Loneliness of the Last
Always exposed, never sharing the comfort
of between, you see only the departed
diminishing with each second’s passage, blurring,
shrinking, and finally blinking out, all points
erased in the null, an eye closing in the tunnel.
Or, inhaling the fragrance of an unseen orange
grove filtered through coal and thick, black
coils, you accept the limits of possibility,
known only by edges flowing past, lost
to touch and forever beyond reach in the draft
of the inadmissible. Departure defines
you. What lies ahead is not yours to embrace.
* * *
“The Loneliness of the Last” was published as a mini-broadside by ELJ Editions in February 2017.
“Trem Abandonado” by Rafael Vianna Croffi
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/rvc/29472173566)
O at the Edges 
I still have this postcard from you! It’s a fabulous poem, and wonderful to hear the reading.
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Thanks, SJ! I still have a few of those postcards somewhere…
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Oh, this poem is so sad.
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Oh, the life of a caboose!
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Always bringing up the rear!
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Always!
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For those who are used and refused
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Indeed!
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